Electrolyzer device having cooling structure

ABSTRACT

An electrolyzer device includes a partition disposed in a housing for separating the housing into a chamber and a compartment, one or more heat generating elements received in the chamber of the housing, an insert or epoxy filled into the housing for retaining the heat generating elements within the chamber of the housing, and the housing includes an inlet port communicative with the compartment of the housing for receiving a fluid, such as water, brine, anolyte, catholyte, or electrolytic solution, and for heat exchanging with and for cooling the heat generating element, and includes an outlet port communicative with the compartment of the housing for outward flowing of the fluid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an electrolyzer device, and more particularly to an electrolyzer device including a cooling structure for suitably cooling the parts or elements that may generate the heat and that may have a greatly increased temperature and for preventing the heat generating parts or elements from being overheated and damaged.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Typical electrolytic cells or electrolyzer devices comprise one or more anodes and one or more cathodes disposed within a cell body or container that is provided for receiving electrolyte therein, for generating anolyte and catholyte by energizing or actuating or operating the anodes and the cathodes, and for utilizing the anolyte and the catholyte to electroplate various kinds of work pieces, for example.

In some circumstances, the anolyte and the catholyte are required to be separated from each other, for such as manufacturing or separating chlorine and caustic from brine. Accordingly, one or more separators or separating devices are required to be disposed or engaged into the electrolytic cells or electrolyzers for separating the anolyte and the catholyte from each other in the typical electrolytic cells.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,813 to Rogers et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,208 to Gram et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,507to Robson disclose three of the typical electrolytic cells or electrolyzer devices each comprising one or more anodes and one or more cathodes disposed within a cell body or container that is provided for receiving electrolyte therein, for generating anolyte and catholyte by energizing or actuating or operating the anodes and the cathodes respectively, and for employing or utilizing the anolyte and the catholyte to electroplate various kinds of work pieces, for example.

However, the typical electrolytic cells or electrolyzer devices each comprise one or more parts or elements that may generate the heat and that may have a greatly increased temperature, such as transformers, capacitors, diodes, field effect transistors, rectifiers, resistors, coils, relays, and the heat generating parts or elements may be overheated and damaged inadvertently when no suitable cooling structure has been provided for suitably cooling the parts or elements.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional electrolyzer devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an electrolyzer device including a cooling structure for suitably cooling the parts or elements that may generate the heat and that may have a greatly increased temperature and for preventing the heat generating parts or elements from being overheated and damaged.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided an electrolyzer assembly comprising a housing, a partition disposed in the housing for separating an inner portion of the housing into a chamber and a compartment, at least one heat generating element received and engaged in the chamber of the housing, an insert filled and engaged into the chamber of the housing for sealing and retaining the heat generating element within the chamber of the housing, and the housing includes an inlet port communicative with the compartment of the housing for receiving a fluid and for heat exchanging with and for cooling the heat generating element, and includes an outlet port also communicative with the compartment of the housing for outward flowing of the fluid.

The fluid is preferably selected from water, brine, anolyte, catholyte, or electrolytic solution, and the insert is preferably selected from epoxy.

The housing includes at least one fin extended therein for defining an inlet conduit which is communicative with the inlet port of the housing, and for defining an outlet conduit which is communicative with the outlet port of the housing.

For example, the housing includes a first fin extended therein for defining an inlet conduit which is communicative with the inlet port of the housing for receiving the fluid, and includes a second fin extended therein for defining an outlet conduit which is communicative with the outlet port of the housing and for outward flowing of the fluid.

The housing includes an intermediate conduit formed between the first fin and the second fin, and includes a passage in a lower portion of the first fin for communicating with the inlet conduit and the intermediate conduit of the housing.

The housing includes an upper pathway and a lower pathway formed in the second fin for allowing the fluid to flow from the intermediate conduit into the outlet conduit and the outlet port of the housing.

The housing includes a circuit board disposed and engaged into the chamber of the housing, and the heat generating element is attached to the circuit board. The heat generating element is selected from transformer, capacitor, diode, transistor, rectifier, resistor, coil, or relay.

A container may further be provided for receiving the housing, and an electrolyzer may further be provided and mounted on an upper portion of the container and includes an entrance for receiving the fluid and includes an exit coupled to the inlet port of the housing for supplying the fluid into the inlet port and the chamber of the housing.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial exploded view of an electrolyzer device in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electrolyzer device;

FIG. 3 is a front plan schematic view of the electrolyzer device, in which a portion of the electrolyzer device has been cut off for showing the inner structure of the electrolyzer device;

FIGS. 4, 5 are cross sectional views of the electrolyzer device, taken along lines 4-4 and 5-5 of FIG. 3 respectively;

FIG. 6 is another partial exploded view of the electrolyzer device;

FIG. 7 is a further partial exploded view of the electrolyzer device, as seen from the direction opposite to that shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a partial cross sectional view of the electrolyzer device, taken along lines 8-8 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a partial cross sectional view similar to FIG. 8, illustrating the operation of the electrolyzer device; and

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the time-and-temperature curvature formed by the electrolyzer device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-5, an electrolyzer device or combination or assembly 1 in accordance with the present invention comprises a container 10, an electrolyzer 20 attached or mounted or secured onto the upper portion 11 of the container 10 and including an entrance 21 for receiving a fluid 80, such as water or brine or anolyte or catholyte or other fluid or electrolytic solutions 80 (FIGS. 4-5, 8-9) and for allowing the fluid or electrolytic solution 80 to flow into the electrolyzer 20, and including an exit 22, and including an anode plate 23 and a cathode plate 24 disposed or attached or mounted in the electrolyzer 20 for generating and attracting an anolyte and a catholyte toward the anode plate 23 and the cathode plate 24 respectively, and for directing or supplying either the anolyte or the catholyte toward the exit 22 of the electrolyzer 20.

The above-described structure for the electrolyzer 20, such as the anode plate 23 and the cathode plate 24 is typical and will not be described in further details. The electrolyzer device or assembly 1 further includes a housing 30 including a partition 31 disposed or attached or mounted in the housing 30 for separating the inner portion of the housing 30 into a chamber 32 and a compartment 33, and includes a circuit board 50 disposed or attached or engaged into the chamber 32 of the housing 30 and having a number of parts or elements 51-58 attached to the circuit board 50 and also received or engaged in the chamber 32 of the housing 30, that may generate the heat and that may have a greatly increased temperature, such as transformers 51, capacitors 52, diodes 53, field effect transistors 54, rectifiers 55, resistors 56, coils 57, relays 58, etc.

A heat dissipating glue or filling member or insert 60 is filled or engaged into the chamber 32 of the housing 30 (FIGS. 1, 4, 5) for suitably covering and sealing and retaining the circuit board 50 and the parts or elements 51-58 within the chamber 32 of the housing 30, and for heat dissipating purposes, for example, the filling member or insert 60 may be selected from epoxy, or the like. The housing 30 includes an inlet port 34 formed or provided on the upper portion 35 thereof and communicative with the compartment 33 of the housing 30, and an outlet port 36 formed or provided on the lower portion 37 thereof and also communicative with the compartment 33 of the housing 30. The inlet port 34 of the housing 30 is coupled to the exit 22 of the electrolyzer 20 (FIGS. 5-9) for receiving the fluid or electrolytic solution 80 or either the anolyte or the catholyte from the exit 22 of the electrolyzer 20.

The housing 30 includes one or more (such as two) flaps or ribs or separating fins 38, 39 provided or extended therein, for example, the fin 38 is extended downwardly from the upper portion 35 of the housing 30, but not coupled to the lower portion 37 of the housing 30, for forming or defining a passage 40 in the lower portion of the fin 38, and for forming or defining an inlet or flowing conduit 41 that is communicative with the inlet port 34 of the housing 30 and for receiving the fluid or electrolytic solution 80 or either the anolyte or the catholyte from the inlet port 34 of the housing 30, and for forming or defining a middle or intermediate or flowing conduit 42 between the fins 38, 39, in which the intermediate conduit 42 is communicative with the inlet conduit 41 with the passage 40 of the fin 38 and/or of the housing 30.

An outlet or flowing conduit 43 is formed or defined by the other fin 39 and is communicative with the outlet port 36 of the housing 30, and the fin 39 includes an upper pathway 44 and a lower pathway 45 formed therein for allowing the fluid or electrolytic solution 80 to flow from the intermediate conduit 42 into the outlet conduit 43 and then to flow out through the outlet port 36 of the housing 30. In operation, as shown in FIG. 8, the fins 38, 39 and/or the pathways 44, 45 of the housing 30 are arranged to guide the fluid or electrolytic solution 80 to flow from the inlet conduit 41 into the intermediate conduit 42 and then to flow into the outlet conduit 43 and then to flow out through the outlet port 36 of the housing 30 when the fluid or electrolytic solution 80 continuously flows into the inlet conduit 41 of the housing 30.

As shown in FIG. 9, the lower pathway 45 of the fin 39 and/or of the housing 30 includes a width or height or dimension smaller than that of the passage 40 of the fin 38 and/or of the housing 30, and is arranged to allow the fluid or electrolytic solution 80 to flow from the intermediate conduit 42 into the outlet conduit 43 of the housing 30 and then to flow out through the outlet port 36 of the housing 30 when the fluid or electrolytic solution 80 is no longer supplied into the inlet conduit 41 of the housing 30. In operation, as shown in FIG. 5, when the fluid or electrolytic solution 80 flows through the inlet conduit 41 and/or the intermediate conduit 42 and the outlet conduit 43 of the housing 30, the fluid or electrolytic solution 80 may heat exchange with the heat generating parts or elements 51-58 for suitably cooling the parts or elements 51-58 under the temperature of about 70° C. (FIG. 10), and for preventing the heat generating parts or elements 51-58 from being overheated and damaged by the high temperature.

Accordingly, the electrolyzer device or assembly in accordance with the present invention includes a cooling structure for suitably cooling the parts or elements that may generate the heat and that may have a greatly increased temperature and for preventing the heat generating parts or elements from being overheated and damaged.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. 

1. An electrolyzer assembly comprising: a housing, a partition disposed in said housing for separating an inner portion of said housing into a chamber and a compartment, at least one heat generating element received and engaged in said chamber of said housing, an insert filled and engaged into said chamber of said housing for sealing and retaining said at least one heat generating element within said chamber of said housing, and said housing including an inlet port communicative with said compartment of said housing for receiving a fluid and for heat exchanging with and for cooling said at least one heat generating element, and including an outlet port also communicative with said compartment of said housing for outward flowing of said fluid.
 2. The electrolyzer assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fluid is selected from water, brine, anolyte, catholyte, or electrolytic solution.
 3. The electrolyzer assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said insert is selected from epoxy.
 4. The electrolyzer assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housing includes at least one fin extended therein for defining an inlet conduit which is communicative with said inlet port of said housing, and for defining an outlet conduit which is communicative with said outlet port of said housing.
 5. The electrolyzer assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housing includes a first fin extended therein for defining an inlet conduit which is communicative with said inlet port of said housing, and includes a second fin extended therein for defining an outlet conduit which is communicative with said outlet port of said housing.
 6. The electrolyzer assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein said housing includes an intermediate conduit formed between said first fin and said second fin, and includes a passage in a lower portion of said first fin for communicating with said inlet conduit and said intermediate conduit of said housing.
 7. The electrolyzer assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein said housing includes an upper pathway and a lower pathway formed in said second fin for allowing said fluid to flow into said outlet conduit and said outlet port of said housing.
 8. The electrolyzer assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housing includes a circuit board disposed and engaged into said chamber of said housing, and said at least one heat generating element is attached to said circuit board.
 9. The electrolyzer assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one heat generating element is selected from transformer, capacitor, diode, transistor, rectifier, resistor, coil, or relay.
 10. The electrolyzer assembly as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a container, and an electrolyzer mounted on an upper portion of said container and including an entrance for receiving said fluid and including an exit coupled to said inlet port of said housing. 